


Arcade

by Chemicataclysm (ARealSlimScotty)



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arcades, Blood, But also, Human!Squip - Freeform, I'm not sure if it's mystery thriller or sci-fi, M/M, Michael and Jeremy are in college, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Child Death, Small Towns, arcade monster!squip, but it's one of them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-18 15:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13684890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARealSlimScotty/pseuds/Chemicataclysm
Summary: Two boys, missing posters, a trip back home, and a half-man half-machine monster."The owner of the Game Galaxy Arcade had always been a creep in Michael’s opinion. They were tall and thin, their long limbs looking all spindly-- more like a spider’s than a person’s. Everything about them seemed far removed from human."Inconsistent updates





	1. Back to Stanlow

The owner of the Game Galaxy Arcade had always been a creep in Michael’s opinion. They were tall and thin, their long limbs looking all spindly-- more like a spider’s than a person’s. Everything about them seemed far removed from human, actually. Piercing blue eyes, unnaturally pale skin, sharp teeth like a piranha. They looked out of place in the small town of Stanlow, New Jersey. 

And yet, they fit right in with the community, falling into place as a simple business owner. Samuel Quint was their name, but everybody called them Sam. They bought the building next to the Bubble Time Laundromat in 1997, and opened their doors to the public in 1998. Despite opening nearly two decades after the arcade craze in the 80’s, it managed to stay open for years. 

Jeremy and Michael practically grew up in that place. They’d find themselves there nearly every day after school once they were old enough to be away from their parents, and they’d spend almost all day there on the weekends. The two nerds made a home among the retro arcade cabinets and outdated decor. 

But they never trusted Sam. They could tell something was off about the owner. Jeremy thought it was just because he was scared of adults. Michael thought it was because Sam was a creep. Regardless of why they were scared of them, they tried to avoid the owner as much as they could. 

Around the time they were in middle school, kids started to go missing. It was weird. It worried the parents of Stanlow. It worried the kids even more. They talked about it in whispers on the playground and at lunch, afraid they might be the next one to go missing. They went around town in groups. They were too scared to be alone. Nobody knew the person behind the disappearances. They just knew kids were going missing, and they weren’t being found.

Missing fliers covered the town, littering the grocery store windows and telephone poles. There was always something weird about missing posters. They all said the same things, large messages of “MISSING” and “Have you seen this child?” and a number to contact. Sometimes there were promises of rewards. Jeremy and Michael never understood them. Everyone knew the kids were missing. Stanlow was a small town, everyone knew everyone. They all knew the kids were gone. Plus, missing posters helped nothing. They didn’t give any clues or hints as to where to look or where the person might be or what might have happened. The only information they gave away, was the fact that the kid wasn’t there. That they were missing. The posters seemed pointless, in Michael and Jeremy’s minds.

First, it was Scott Barrows, the little sixth grader who collected Pokemon cards. Then it was Adam Parton, the eighth grader who rarely spoke to anyone but was prone to fits of anger. After that, it got hard to count. Brian Worrall, Nathan Canley, Kyle Fenton, Travis Pratt, Alix Walton-- The list went on and on. They were all kids, and they all vanished. No bodies were ever found, no culprits were ever caught. Every suspect turned out to be innocent, every lead led to a dead end. It was troubling, to say the least. Their missing posters piled up, and soon it became a common occurrence. People didn’t care unless it was their friend or their kid. 

Michael had always suspected Sam. No adults ever believed him, though. He tried to tell his mom. She was quick to tell him he was making things up, that he was looking for attention. Everyone else told him that too. Sam was a good person, they’d say. The arcade opened before kids started disappearing, they’d say. Michael didn’t have any evidence and he was just twelve. Nobody was going to listen.

The only person who believed him was Jeremy. Jeremy thought Sam was scary too. He was also Michael’s best friend. Of course, he believed Michael. There was no reason for him not to. Sam seemed weird, it was reasonable to suspect them.

That didn’t stop them from going to the arcade, though. As they got older, the bullying got worse and worse. The arcade was their safe haven from all the harassment. As kids started to grow up and their interests changed, the place got emptier and emptier, and it was Michael and Jeremy’s private paradise. Plus, all they had were hunches about Sam. Hunches weren’t a good enough reason to avoid the place.

In eighth grade, during the summer, Jeremy went to his mom’s house for a week. Michael was left alone. He still went to the arcade. It was different without his player two hanging out with him, but he still had fun. Until Sam came up to him, at least.

The creepy owner smiled at him, wide and wicked, showing off their unnaturally pointy teeth. It made Michael uncomfortable. He tried to back away from the owner, but the Galaga cabinet was in the far corner of the arcade and there was nowhere to back away to. He gulped. Sam complimented him on his playing, telling him that he was a good player. One of the best players in the arcade. Michael brushed them off, trying to get Sam to leave. But Sam persisted. They continued to talk and talk, trying to get Michael to feel comfortable. He never felt comfortable. If anything, he just got more and more on edge, picking nervously at his Silly Bands.

Eventually, Sam asked him if he wanted to see the cabinets in the back. The new ones, the more modern ones. The ones that would make it out to the main arcade in a month. They asked if Michael wanted to help assemble them. They grabbed Michael’s wrist and started to drag him towards the back, their gangly and bony fingers gripping tightly. 

Michael was full on panicking at this point, and he tugged his wrist away as quickly and forcibly as he could. He then high tailed it out of the arcade. He didn’t know if Sam was being genuine or not, but the interaction made sirens sound in his head. There was something seriously wrong about it. He didn’t know what would’ve happened in that back room, but he didn’t think it would be good. 

The only person he told this to, was Jeremy. Jeremy and Michael agreed to avoid the arcade from then on. They’d just buy a console and game at home. They didn’t want to be the next kids to go missing. 

They bought all the retro games they wanted with their combined birthday and Christmas money. Gamecubes, Dreamcasts, Nintendo 64’s. They didn’t need to go to the arcade anymore. They decided to ignore its existence, and to act like Sam didn’t exist. It worked for awhile.

Then, at the beginning of freshman year, the Game Galaxy Arcade closed its doors and Sam vanished without a trace. Health code violations, they said. Once again, the lunchroom filled with rumors and theories about what the cause was. Some kids said that the snacks were made of rats, others insisted that it was the mold growing in the ceiling. Particularly paranoid kids said there was a murder there. Nobody ever knew the truth. 

It left a bad taste in Michael and Jeremy’s mouths. It seemed fishy. Wrong. Suspicious. Was it a cover-up? What really happened? They were filled with morbid curiosity but were far too scared to try and find out themselves. They just brushed it off and tried to forget it.

They didn’t let it affect them. Life continued on as normal, and they graduated high school together, applying to the same college and packing their bags to move to New York. It wasn’t too far away from their small town, but it was far away enough to feel like an adventure and make them feel like adults. Bad memories of the Game Galaxy were soon swept under the rug and replaced with a pleasant feeling of childhood nostalgia.

* * *

College was going well. Or, as well as it could possibly go, at least. Michael and Jeremy were having trouble adjusting to life on campus. They were used to being some of the smartest kids in school, and now they felt like some of the dumbest ones. 

To be fair, it wasn’t hard to be a genius in Stanlow. There were only 2,000 people living there. A small fraction of those people went to high school. They were advanced according to the teachers there, but they were probably average by normal standards. Now they were going to a school with over 12,000 people attending it. Their school was bigger than their hometown. Average wasn’t enough to get by anymore.

Not to mention the added stress of being away from home. Living in a big city had its perks, but it wasn’t what they were used to. There were lots of people. There was lots of noise. Michael and Jeremy had to get jobs, too. They had to scrape together enough money to buy food and clothes, they had to do their own laundry and clean their own dorm. They didn’t have time to slack off anymore.

Papers and Exams were difficult, and the two of them took mostly core classes since they were freshmen. Jeremy went in as a musical theatre major, Michael was still undecided. On the plus side, they brought their old consoles to college with them. The dorms at Pace University were fairly nice. The two shared a dorm, and they were able to make room for a small TV. Gaming together was a nice way to de-stress after a hard day. 

But it wasn’t good enough to de-stress after a hard semester. As their classes started to wrap up and spring break started coming up, Michael and Jeremy were drained. College was fun sometimes. And they were, in fact, cool. But it was still exhausting and stressful. Video games weren’t enough to make them relax. They needed something else. 

It was the Friday before spring break, and they were still out of it. They didn’t have any plans to look forward to either. Michael was sprawled out on his bed, wearing a plain black t-shirt and a pair of weed print boxers. Jeremy was sitting at his tiny wooden desk as he scrolled through his twitter feed.

“Hey, Jer, I have an idea for spring break,” Michael said, lifting himself up slightly so he could look over at Jeremy. Jeremy jumped a bit when Michael spoke. He was so focused on Twitter, that he forgot the other was in the room. He blinked and relaxed, before turning around in his chair so he could sit backward and look at Michael.

Jeremy cleared his throat. “What’s your idea, dude? Please don’t tell me it’s white river rafting again. I’ve said no like three times and it’s getting old so like-”

Michael cut Jeremy off with a groan and a dramatic hand wave as if he were trying to shoo the words away from him. He grinned. “No! I was thinking, and like.. Well, I mean- what if we like.. Let’s go on a road trip!” he stumbled over his words, clearly excited by the idea, “We could drive back to Stanlow for the break, see our parents and shit. Or, I guess we’d uh… see my parents, and see your dad? Yeah. Sound good?”

Jeremy furrowed his brows in thought for a bit, before shrugging his shoulders. “I guess that sounds good, yeah,” he shot Michael a smile, “Let’s pack tonight and take off tomorrow since it’ll be Saturday. I hope you know you’re doing all the driving.”

Michael laughed lightly, “I know, I know. I always do the driving.” Jeremy chuckled too and turned back around, closing his laptop and getting up. He stretched as he stood, before yawning and pushing his chair in. Thank god his and Michael’s afternoon class was canceled today. He didn't feel like going. Being lazy and getting ready for a nostalgic getaway seemed way better than sitting through another literature lecture. 

The two of them started to pack their things, slowly but surely filling a backpack and two suitcases with clothes and a few other things. After some debate, they decided to leave their consoles in their dorm. They thought about bringing the Gamecube but ultimately decided against it. They didn't need to. They'd have enough things to do in Stanlow.

The next morning, Michael found himself packing their bags into the back of his PT cruiser while Jeremy sat in the front and waited.

The old car was in worse shape than it had been in high school and, in all honesty, it was a miracle the thing was still running. Michael was proud of it. Jeremy was sick of it. The left side of the bumper was held down with duct tape, red paint was chipped and peeling in various places, bumper stickers were faded and peeling at the corners, and the radio didn't work anymore. The air conditioner worked, but it tended to stop every now and then and it wouldn't start back up again until Michael banged the top of the dashboard. To top it all off, the car smelled like fast food all the time and the leather seats were cracked and uncomfortable.

It's not like Jeremy had much of a choice, though. He didn't have a car and driving made him anxious. So, he got in the PT cruiser without complaints. Michael hopped into the driver's seat after a bit and threw a pair of shades on over his glasses to block out the bright yellow sun. Jeremy didn't have any sunglasses, so he was left to squint blindly.

Michael buckled in and started up the car, turning to Jeremy, “You ready, dude?” He asked, before starting to pull out of their parking spot.

Jeremy nodded, “Yep! I'm-” he paused, freezing up slightly, “Wait!” He reached into his jean pocket and pulled out a Little Trees air freshener that was still in the packet. He tore open the plastic and hung it on the rearview mirror. The fast food smell was soon overpowered by the tacky sent of ‘new car’. Jeremy grinned. “Okay, okay, now I'm ready.”

Michael laughed and made his way to one of the main roads, soon merging onto the highway. He chuckled after a bit. “You know, when I called it a road trip I was glorifying it a bit,” he mused, “The drive is only like.. two to three hours. It's not really a road trip.”

Jeremy laughed too, eventually snickering out “But it's a trip we’re taking on the road, so it's like.. Isn't it technically a road trip?” 

“I mean, I guess?” Michael said with a bit of a shrug, nodding after a bit and making a decision, “Yeah. It's a road trip. A very very short road trip.”

The drive went by fast, the two of them either making idle chatter or simply sitting in silence. It was nice. Relaxing. They were driving away from everything stressful, and inching closer to everything they remembered being perfect.

Nostalgia was funny like that. It tended to blind people to reality. Their childhood in Stanlow was far from perfect. They were bullied and tormented, their favorite place was run by a creeper, and they spent most of their childhood feeling like outcasts. But when Michael and Jeremy looked back on it, they only thought about the best parts. They thought about Capri Suns and running around the park. They thought about arcade cabinets and collecting Silly Bands. 

Michael and Jeremy couldn't wait to be in Stanlow. Once they got there, they pulled into the grocery store parking lot and played a game of rock paper scissors to determine who's parents they'd visit first.

Jeremy won. Michael groaned, before smiling and nudging Jeremy playfully. “Come on, Jer, let's go see your dad.”

Jeremy smiled and nodded, “You shouldn't have chosen paper dude. But I'm not complaining. I miss my dad.” 

Michael hummed and pulled out of the parking lot, making the quick five-minute drive to Jeremy's dad's house. It was a little run down, on the older side of town, and the grass was starting to get too long. Mr. Heere never liked mowing. The house hadn't changed much since Jeremy moved out, but there was a fresh coat of yellow paint over it. The house had been grey before, but recently Mr. Heere hired somebody to repaint it. It looked nice. Like sunshine.

Michael parked the PT cruiser out front, before climbing out. Jeremy was already racing through the small yard to the front door, knocking on it eagerly. His dad had been fairly absent for most of Jeremy's childhood, having been busy at work and then incredibly depressed after Jeremy's mom left. Jeremy didn't blame him for it. Because, despite the absence, Mr. Heere had been a good dad. He still was, actually.

After a few seconds, the door opened up, revealing an incredibly tired Mr. Heere. He was wearing a loosely tied black robe, with a pair of white briefs underneath. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the bright light from outside, eventually smiling wide. “Jeremy!” He said with a grin, pulling the boy into a tight hug. He yawned as he pulled away. “It’s good to see you, son, things have been a bit too quiet without you.” 

Jeremy chuckled and looked up at his dad. “It's good to see you too, dad. I’ve missed you a lot more than I thought I would.” Michael walked up to the two and waved at Mr. Heere, smiling.

“Hey Mr. Heere,” he said, rocking back and forth on his feet. Jeremy’s dad was quick to pull Michael into a tight hug too, chuckling as he looked up at the other. Michael had grown to be slightly taller than him, but he didn’t mind. 

“I keep telling you to call me Benjamin,” Mr. Heere said, “It’s good to see you too, Michael. Have you been keeping my son out of trouble?”

Michael laughed, “Old habits die hard, Mr. Heere. Or, Benjamin, I guess? And, well, your son’s been keeping me out of trouble, actually.”

Jeremy nodded, “Yeah, you should see some of the stuff Michael’s tried to pull. One time I walked into our dorm after studying at the library and Michael was in the kitchen just like.. drinking tomato sauce out of the jar. He tried to call it a meal, it was insane.”

The three broke out into even more laughter, and once it died down Mr. Heere reached over and ruffled Jeremy’s hair. “Well, come on in, champ. You too, sport.” he waved the two boys inside, and Michael carried Jeremy’s bag up to his room.

They sat down on the couch and caught up, happy to see each other. Even though Jeremy called his dad every few days and texted him constantly, he rarely got the chance to visit him. It was nice to be back in Stanlow. Jeremy missed this. 

Eventually, Michael got up and walked to the door, leaving to go and visit his own parents. He invited Jeremy to tag along, but Jeremy wanted to stay with his dad. Michael understood. He hugged Mr. Heere goodbye and hugged Jeremy too, humming. “Well, bye guys. I’ll see you tomorrow Jeremy. We’re gonna have an ultimate fun day, don’t forget!” and as he unlocked his car, he called out “I know how forgetful you are! I’ll text you!”

Jeremy just shook his head and chuckled, spending the rest of the evening with his dad. When he went to bed that night, he couldn’t help but smile to himself. Tomorrow was going to be great. The whole week was going to be great. Stanlow was great.


	2. Game Galaxy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Michael was wrong. Turns out, the building wasn’t just locked. The windows were boarded up, and the door was sealed shut with a chain and padlock. Whoever shut this place down went a bit overboard. The sun had gone down a while ago, so the two had stopped by Dollar General and picked up flashlights. They’d need to be able to see, after all."

Michael pulled into the driveway in front of Mr. Heere’s house, and honked on his horn, pressing down for a solid minute. The loud blaring sound rang through the whole street and yard and, hopefully, Jeremy could hear it inside. He had texted the boy earlier but he knew how much Jeremy liked to sleep in. Jeremy probably slept through the notification and stayed in bed, cuddled up under his comforter. 

It took awhile, but eventually the front door opened up and Jeremy walked out to the PT cruiser. He was haphazardly dressed in a blue striped shirt with a pair of jeans, his mop of curls arranged in a messy bed head. He hopped into Michael’s car with a groan. “You’re gonna wake the whole neighborhood..” he muttered, yawning and stretching as best as he could in the small interior of the car. He sighed. “You could’ve just texted me, you know.”

Michael chuckled, looking at Jeremy, “I did text you. You were asleep. It’s not my fault that the only way to wake you up is with loud noises.” 

Jeremy grumbled under his breath and buckled in, still half asleep. “I need coffee..” Michael hummed and nodded, starting to drive off. 

“Then you’re in luck, Jer, that’s the first thing we’re doing today. Fix your bed head, we’re gonna get breakfast. I need coffee, too.”

Jeremy scoffed. “Do you really though? You’re such a uh..” he trailed off and made a vague gesture, “Morning person.” Michael just laughed and continued to drive. Eventually he parked in front of the local doughnut shop, Stanlow Dough. It opened when Michael and Jeremy entered their sophomore year. Nobody thought it’d stay in business for long, but it managed to hang in there. It was barely staying open. They used to go there before school once Michael learned to drive, and it’s where they got their breakfast in the mornings.

The two boys hopped out of the car and made their way into the doughnut shop, the bell above the door chiming as they opened it. The walls had a newer looking coat of blue paint over them, but it still managed to look dull and lifeless. New paint seemed to be a trend this year. They were covered in Twin Peaks posters and merchandise, since the owner was a huge fan of the show. At the counter, there was a tired looking teenage girl, dressed in a too big red uniform. She had bags under her eyes and pixie cut. 

Michael grinned and walked up, pulling Jeremy along behind him. His eyes scanned over the doughnut display case and the wooden menu that was hanging up. He cleared his throat. “Can I uh.. Can I get a glazed doughnut and a small coffee?” 

The girl simply nodded, picking at her red nails and staying silent. Michael turned to Jeremy. “What do you want, Jer?” he asked quietly. Jeremy mumbled a quiet order to Michael, looking away from the cashier. He usually had Michael order for him. Ordering food was hard for him sometimes, and it was a lot easier to have the other do it instead. Michael nodded.

“And can I also have one of the chocolate cake doughnuts and a caramel cappuccino?” Michael asked, still smiling. The girl nodded again, typing the order into the cash register. She looked pretty dead inside. After Michael paid, she started to put the two doughnuts in bags, making the coffee as quickly and clumsily as she could. It was clear that she didn’t want to be there.

When she handed them to Michael, she sighed and looked up at the security camera, before frowning. “Here you go, sir… Have a dough-licious day..” she muttered it quietly and lifelessly. She then sat back down and pulled a magazine out from under the counter.

Michael just laughed. “You too, miss!” he grinned, leading Jeremy to a table in the corner. He sat down across from the other and pulled the doughnuts out of their bag, handing Jeremy’s to him. “It’s been so long since we ate here, dude..” he said before taking a bite of his own doughnut.

Jeremy shrugged. “I guess?” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. He winced when he burned his tongue, but kept drinking it anyway. He was tired. He needed to wake up. Once he chugged about half of his drink, he started to eat his doughnut with a sleepy smile. “It is nice to be back, though.” he commented between bites.

Michael nodded in agreement. Unlike Jeremy, he waited until he was finished with his doughnut to start drinking his coffee. He drank it black. It was a habit he developed recently, since it saved time. Plus, it didn’t taste too bad. It was just bitter. Michael could handle bitter.

It didn’t take long for the two to finish eating, and for Michael to drag Jeremy out of the building. Stanlow Dough was a nice place to eat breakfast, but staying there all day would be depressing. Plus, the cashier looked like she was ready to kick them out of there. 

Jeremy was finally starting to wake up. The cappuccino was kicking in, and he didn’t feel like a zombie anymore. Michael was already wide awake, his coffee only adding to his perky attitude. He had always been energetic in the mornings, but was quick to fall asleep at night. Jeremy was the polar opposite. He was basically dead until he had his coffee, but he’d be up until the sun rose some nights.

The two shuffled their way back into the car, buckling up and getting ready for their fun filled day. The plan was to go around town and relive all the things they used to do. It was the perfect plan. Most of the places were still open, so they’d have a lot to do. 

They went out to the town’s grocery store, a local business named Gregory’s Market. Jeremy always thought the name was stupid. But, it certainly worked, and the grocery had been open for longer than anyone in Stanlow could remember. The windows looked far nicer without the missing posters. Instead, there were advertisements for sales inside and fliers by kids who offered to mow your lawn and watch your dog. Michael and Jeremy messed around in the store for awhile, loading up on junk food that they probably shouldn’t be buying. But it was spring break, they were supposed to make stupid choices.  
After that, they went to the town’s small park and played, creeping out the Mothers and little kids. They didn’t care, though. Michael and Jeremy did all the things they did when they were kids. They built their shitty sand castles and swung on the swings. They ran around and started a game of tag with each other, eventually collapsing onto the green grass and trying to catch their breath. They were both out of shape. But it was still fun. They burst into laughter and tried to find shapes in the clouds, the bright yellow sunlight slowly starting to get dimmer as the day went on.

The Chopping Flower was the only restaurant in town, so it’s where Michael and Jeremy went for dinner. They both thought the name was stupid, but it worked in a way. It was owned by an old couple. Mrs. Wells decorated the place and baked the desserts, keeping a nice soft floral theme. She made sure the tables had their pastel gingham table cloths and had a vase full of fake flowers. She hung up paintings of farms and children. She tried to make it a homey restaurant. Meanwhile, Mr. Wells did the rest of the cooking and hung up all his hunting trophies. The two aesthetics clashed, but the food was good and the name certainly delivered.

Michael and Jeremy had chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner, and then two big slices of cherry pie with ice cream after. It was good. It tasted like home. Eating there really brought them back to all the times their parents would take them there. When they were younger, they’d color with crayons and Mrs. Wells would hang their drawings up on the walls. The two’s drawings were of zombies and video game characters, and it made the already confusing atmosphere even more of a mess.

They left the place with wide smiles on their faces, enjoying the break. It was a trip down memory lane for them. Then, Michael perked up. “Jer, I’ve got an idea,” he said as they got into the PT cruiser, the ‘New Car’ smell already starting to fade.

“What’s your idea, Dude?” Jeremy asked, raising a brow and looking over at Michael, who was putting the keys into the ignition and starting the car the car. 

“Let’s go to the Game Galaxy, we used to spend like.. Every day there, it’ll be fun,” Michael hummed as he spoke, grinning even more. His negative memories had faded. He ignored them all the time, and by now he had practically forgotten them. All he remembered when he thought about the Game Galaxy, was all the fun he and Jeremy had there.

Jeremy hesitated, “You know we’re gonna have to break in, right? The place closed down.” he was fidgeting with his hands and looking away, his smile fading a bit. He didn’t remember most of the creepy things, but he didn’t like breaking the law. The idea made him nervous. 

Michael shook his head, “Yeah, but don’t worry. Nobody cares about the place anymore and nobody’s bought the building. It’s just sitting there. Hell, it’s probably unlocked. I’ve heard it’s unsellable. It’ll be fun, relax.”

Jeremy nodded and took a deep breath, trying to smile again. It’d be okay. It would be fun. Michael was right, going to their childhood paradise would be the perfect way to end their little nostalgia adventure.

* * *

Michael was wrong. Turns out, the building wasn’t just locked. The windows were boarded up, and the door was sealed shut with a chain and padlock. Whoever shut this place down went a bit overboard. The sun had gone down a while ago, so the two had stopped by Dollar General and picked up flashlights. They’d need to be able to see, after all.

When Jeremy realized that nobody was around, he relaxed slightly. Nobody would catch them or care if they broke in, right? He followed behind Michael as the other started to feel around the boards, trying to find a way to get in. They weren’t expecting the building to be so heavily secured, so they weren’t prepared to break in. 

Eventually, Michael gasped softly, his face lighting up when he found a board that was loose. It was covered in graffiti, tags from people who wants to leave mark in the town’s history. Most of them looked nice. Some of them just looked like plain black scribbled. But, even though some looked good, there were so many that the board just looked like a messy chaos. There were so many scattered messages that none were heard. 

Gripping the plywood tightly, Michael managed to rip it off of the window, the corners splitting and staying nailed down where they were. But he managed to get most of the board off, so it was okay. They’d just have to be careful. Because, if they weren’t careful, they’d get splinters.

“Hey, Jeremy, can you go grab my backpack from the car?” Michael asked, turning to the shorter and shining his flashlight him. Jeremy squinted and nodded, quickly scampering off to where they parked the car, leaving Michael alone.

He soon returned, a tie-dye backpack in his hands. “Here you go dude,” he said, unsure why Michael needed. The other just grinned and thanked him, pausing for a second before chucking it at the window as hard as he could.

A loud crash sounded through the area, the ear splitting shattering of glass catching the boys off guard. Jeremy covered his ears and Michael covered his eyes, both of them ducking down on instinct. A few shards of glass flew out but, thankfully, none of them hit the two.

There was a beat of silence, before Jeremy and Michael looked up, relaxing slightly. The sudden loud noise shook them, but they weren’t scared. Michael soon laughed, walking up to the window and shining his flashlight in curiously. The hole was large enough for them to get through without cutting themselves. “I wasn’t expecting the glass to break so easily..” Michael muttered, still a bit surprised.

Jeremy nodded, “Yeah, I guess it’s just old?” he shrugged slightly and watched as Michael crawled his way in through the window. He sighed and followed the other in, trembling slightly as he contorted his thin body to fit in through the shattered glass. He winced slightly when one of the edges jabbed his side, but other than that, he made it in unharmed. 

The first thing he noticed, was the smell. The old place smelled like something was rotting, it was putrid and it made Jeremy wrinkle up his nose in response, making a bit of a face. It was disgusting. Briefly, he wondered if the kids had been right. Maybe there was a murder here. The dead body was probably still sitting around and rotting. Jeremy shook his head, frowning. No. It was just an old arcade. It had been shut down for healthcode violations, of course it smelled like shit.

He flicked on his own flashlight and shined it around the building, glancing from side to side. The building hadn’t changed much since the last time he’d been there. The purple planet print carpet was still stained to hell and back, maybe more so than it had been last time. The cabinets were all in their same places. The ceiling still had spots of mold, but the gross colonies had grown over the years, reaching out to new tiles to claim as territory. It looked grosser than it used to, but was pretty much the same overall. Everything was dusty and unkempt, cobwebs covering some of the games. A few of the ceiling tiles had fallen to the floor, revealing the rusty old pipes underneath. 

Jeremy frowned as he glanced around. He was starting to feel nervous again, but he wasn't too sure why. There was nothing to be scared of, right? It was just an old arcade.

Michael, on the other hand, looked like a kid on Christmas. He was eagerly looking around the room, taking in the sights with a smile. He didn't seem to mind the smell or the disgusting atmosphere. “This place is so cool!” He beamed, “Do you think the games still work?”

Jeremy bit his lip and thought for a bit. “Maybe?” he shrugged after a while, “There should be like, a switch thing on the back? If the power is still on in this place, then you should be able to turn it on.” 

Michael nodded and crouched down, snaking his arm around the cabinet and feeling for a switch. It was pressed against the wall so he couldn't shine his flashlight. 

He soon flicked it, making a bit of a face as he pulled his hand away and waited for it to boot up. “There's something wet back there..” He grumbled, wiping his hand on his jeans. 

Jeremy blinked. “Wet?” He said, a bit confused, “There shouldn't be anything wet but.. I guess this place is old and rotting, so anything goes.”

They both watched as the screen lit up, and soon the familiar 8-bit music playing in the otherwise quiet room. Michael had started up the Dig Dug cabinet. 

He started to fish around in his pockets, eventually pulling out a quarter and shoving it into the machine. He hummed as he played and Jeremy walked off, starting up the Mario cabinet. 

As he got closer to the back, the sickening smell worsened, but he tried to ignore it. He tossed his flashlight to the ground and let the light from the screen illuminate the area as he poked and prodded the “return coin” buttons in hopes of getting a free play.

A quarter fell out, letting out a quiet clinking noise. Jeremy smiled and took it. He looked at the coin closely, noticing how dirty it was. It was covered in something that was dark brown and thick. Jeremy shuddered and shrugged it off, ignoring the weird feeling in his gut as he pressed the quarter into the coin slot.

The two continued like that for a bit, just going around the arcade and turning on the dirtied cabinets, playing quietly, stealing quarters to fuel their gaming frenzy.vIt was nice. If they ignored everything off putting about it, then it was just like old times.

Eventually, they made it to the very back, by the Galaga cabinet. Michael’s flashlight was the only one that was on, and he was using it to check out the different cabinets. He shined it onto one that they hadn't seen before.

The banner said “SQUIP” in a blocky pixelated font, and there was no art or decoration on the sides. The smell got worse as the two stepped towards it.

On a closer inspection, they could tell that the sides had been painted over with black paint. The metal was cracking in a few places and duct taped shut, and the front panel was slightly unhinged.

“That's weird..” Michael said quietly, “I don't recognize this one. Maybe it was added once we stopped coming?”

Jeremy nodded, “Yeah, probably, there was a full year after. That's plenty of time to add a new cabinet.”

“But it doesn't look new,” Michael said, already reaching around to turn it on, “It looks really old, actually.”

“Maybe we never noticed it?” Jeremy tried, starting to feel uneasy. Something felt wrong about this.

The screen lit up, but no music played and no graphics were displayed. It was plain white. Michael was confused, but he shook his head. “Nah, there's no way we never noticed it. We went here like every day, we played every game… I wonder why its not working.”

“Try the cheat code,” Jeremy suggested, taking a step back and squeaking when he stepped in a pool of liquid, that seemed to be leaking from the side of the Cabinet. The red soaked the side of his converse and he frowned. “I stepped in something..” He grimaced, looking down and lifting his foot up,

“It’s probably just a slushie somebody spilled years ago,” Michael shrugged, not really paying attention to Jeremy as he moved the joy stick and hit the buttons, typing in the code. Up, up, down, down, left, right, A. The usual code that worked on a handful of cabinets.

And, just like that, the game started up. It was a basic side scrolling fighter game. The music was simple, and so were the graphics. Surprisingly, it didn't take any quarters, so Michael could play right away.

As the taller focused on the game, Jeremy felt the anxiety start to bubble up in his stomach more and more and he looked around the arcade with wide eyes, starting to feel sick. “M-Michael, I don't think it was a slushie-” he started.

Michael cut him off with an annoyed sound, “Then it was a drink of some kind, Jer,” he said, clearly trying to focus on the game.

“No, Michael it wasn't a drink-”

“Jeremy, we've had this rule since like day one. We don't talk to each other when we're gaming. Tell me what it is later.”

“Michael, I'm being serious-”

“Save it for later, Jeremy,” Michael said firmly, clearly annoyed. He was focused on the game. It was something he had never player before, and it was challenging, drawing him in and stealing his attention from his distressed friend. There was something almost hypnotic about.

Jeremy was quick to bite his lip, going silent. He wanted to leave, but he didn't want to leave Michael alone. Eventually the anxiety became too much and he squeaked out a shaky, “Michael, I-I think it’s blood!”

Michael froze up for a second and looked at Jeremy with wide eyes, his character on screen dying. “Blood?” He echoed, his face going pale.

Before the two could say anything else, the game screen flicked back to the bright white color from earlier. The sudden light caught Jeremy off guard and he flinched, immediately clutching onto Michael.

The screen continued to get brighter and brighter until suddenly Michael and Jeremy felt a shock course through them, and soon blacked out.

* * *

Somewhere, on the other side of town, a man was hanging up two posters on the window of Gregory's Market.

If Michael and Jeremy were still in middle school, they'd be disappointed. They were never fond of missing posters. They found them pointless.

And yet, hanging up on display for all the citizens of Stanlow to see, were two photos of them with the word “MISSING” under them.


	3. A Familiar Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was human. Or, it looked human, at least. Pale white skin and a bright blue eye, six feet tall with a slender and bony frame. It wore a white lab coat with the collar up, buttoned to the top and belted around the waist. It’s body was glitching, stray pixels surrounding them and cubic chunks slightly offset from the main model. Where it’s left eye would be, there were two mouths, forming open grins with pointy teeth. The main mouth was formed into an all too familiar looking grin, piranha like teeth on full display."
> 
> [Gore warning for the end of this chapter]

When Jeremy woke up, he was all too aware of the throbbing pain in the back of his head. It hurt. It hurt like hell. He kept his eyes squeezed shut and moved his hands, rubbing lightly in an attempt to lessen the pain. It was almost electric, the way it felt, like a series of binary code was ripping through his head and thudding against the backside of his skull. 

When he finally adjusted to the feeling, Jeremy opened his eyes and looked around. He didn’t know where he was. His surroundings were familiar, but so far removed from anything he remembered that it filled him with an unavoidable sense of dread. He took a deep breath.

He was in the arcade, or, somewhere that looked like the arcade. It was clean-- far too clean. The once purple and messy carpet was a clean shade of cyan, absolutely spotless. The walls were white and shining, almost sparkling from how clean they were. The ceilings were a lot higher, too. 

Yesterday, there had been old and faded posters halfway taped to the walls and starting to slip. But now, the walls were barren. The entire place was barren, in fact, save for the cabinets that still lined the walls. The doors were gone. The windows were gone. Jeremy gulped. Was he trapped here?

All the cabinets were powered up and running, but they weren’t playing any of their usual music. They looked dull, too. Almost lifeless. Jeremy soon pushed himself up off of the floor, wobbling slightly as he stood. He felt sick and nauseous. His head still ached. But, he had to figure out what was going on.

He walked around the room, soon finding Michael passed out on the floor by the Galaga cabinet. Weird. Usually, it was Michael that woke up first. Jeremy knelt down by the other and nudged him. 

Michael didn’t wake up. Jeremy frowned and nudged him even harder, his anxiety growing when the other didn’t move. He gripped Michael’s shoulders and started to full on shake him, sighing in relief when the other blinked awake.

“Jer..?” Michael muttered sleepily, soon wincing and rubbing the back of his head just like Jeremy had earlier. He felt it too, apparently. He looked up at Jeremy, “Where are we?” he asked, looking around through squinted eyes.

Jeremy shrugged, trying to calm down. He needed to stay calm. “I.. I-I don’t know, Michael. It looks like the arcade, but it doesn’t? It’s not the arcade b-but uh.. It is the arcade? I don’t know, dude..”

Michael got up too, and the two stood together, looking around the strange area. “These is weird,” was all Michael said, keeping his voice quiet and low. Jeremy nodded. It was weird. He didn’t like this. Michael was nervous too, Jeremy could tell, but he had always been more level headed when things went wrong. 

“If we’re in the arcade then.. Do you think the back room is still there? There might be an emergency exit or something,” Michael said, eyes still scanning the room. The prize counter was still where it had always been, but it was devoid of all the little tokens. 

“Maybe? It’s worth a try, even if it’s not, I-I want to get out of here,” Jeremy said, voice shaking. The two made their way to the counter, looking behind it. The door wasn’t there. Neither were the lights, Jeremy realized. It was dark over here.

Michael mumbled something under his breath before climbing over, running his hand over the wall where the door was supposed to be. Memories flooded his head as he inspected it, racking his brain for anything that might be useful. 

He blinked as he thought of all the times Sam guided kids back there, and then remember how they would hit the door with their elbow before opening it. He inhaled and mirrored the actions in his memory, hitting the wall with his elbow as hard as he could. He braced himself for impact, but it never came.

Instead, he clipped right through the wall, disappearing into a swarm of pixels and falling onto the other side. It was the backroom. Michael had never been back there before, but it was dark and he could barely see, making out only vague shapes. He wished he had his flashlight.

Jeremy’s eyes widened as he watched Michael disappear, and he watched, scared. Where did Michael go? What happened to him? His breathing picked up and, after weighing his options, he found himself hopping over the counter as well, striking the wall with his elbow.

He fell through, too, landing on the floor next to Michael with a dull thud. He took a moment to catch his breath and calm down, glad Michael was okay. “What is this place?” he asked.

“The back room, I guess,” Michael answered, beginning to feel around the darkness for a light switch or something. All he could see was the outlines of figures, boxes and disassembled cabinets. Something else, too. But, he couldn’t tell what it was, so he ignored it.

Not wanting to investigate the room, Jeremy stood in place, trying to think through what happened. They were in the arcade last night. Or, what he could only assume to be last night. He couldn’t see outside and he didn’t have his phone, so really, it was anybody’s guess as to what time it was. He had no clue how long he and Michael had been out for.

Every single thing he thought of, either sounded stupid or improbable. He was stumped. He didn’t know what happened or where they were. Hell, he had no clue if he’d ever find out. 

The two jumped when on of the figures in the room moved, and the lights suddenly flickered on, causing Jeremy to flinch and cover his eyes. Michael, who wasn’t as nervous as Jeremy, squinted and let his eyes scan around the room. 

It was the same sleek and clean white as the rest of the arcade, but the blue carpet was covered in tools and broken technology. Then his eyes landed on the figure.

It was human. Or, it looked human, at least. Pale white skin and a bright blue eye, six feet tall with a slender and bony frame. It wore a white lab coat with the collar up, buttoned to the top and belted around the waist. It’s body was glitching, stray pixels surrounding them and cubic chunks slightly offset from the main model. Where it’s left eye would be, there were two mouths, forming open grins with pointy teeth. The main mouth was formed into an all too familiar looking grin, piranha like teeth on full display.

The color drained from Michael’s face, and Jeremy felt like he was going to puke. Sam. It was Sam. They looked too different, too strange, too far from human. Their appearance fell into the uncanny valley and it made the boys tense up and try to back away, afraid. Jeremy was trembling. Michael was sweating. 

“Long time no see, kids,” Sam said, their voice raspy and weird. It sounded distorted, glitched, like the processing sound of a dial up modem. 

Michael’s eyes went wide, and he was suddenly brought back to the arcade in eighth grade. Sam was after him. Sam was trying to get him. He felt like a trapped little kid again, like the man was gripping tightly to his wrist again. 

He was never the type to panic. No, that was Jeremy’s job. The only times he remembered panicking was when Sam had tried to take him to the back room, and when his grandmother was dying. But, right now, he felt like he was panicking. The air seemed to leave his lungs and he locked eyes with the old owner.

They looked terrifying now. A creep, a monster, the thing Michael had always feared. He was frozen. If Michael was panicking, then Jeremy was dying. He already felt like he was going to puke, and seeing Michael shaking and afraid was not helping his state.

“W-We need to get out of here,” Jeremy managed to stammer out, looking at Michael. Sam wasn’t moving at all or saying anything. They were simply watching the pitiful display in front of them unfold.

They were in full control here. It didn’t matter what the two tried to do, as long as Michael and Jeremy were here, they were in control. 

When Michael didn’t respond, Jeremy gulped and grabbed the other’s arm, tugging to the wall as he desperately hit his elbow against it. He needed to get out. He needed to escape. He needed to clip through and run, just like they had before.

Sam laughed and started to walk forward, amused. Jeremy was hyperventilating. His eyes were watering. He winced every time he hit the wall, a thud sounding through the room. It hurt. His head hurt, his arm hurt, he felt sick. He was miserable and scared. Jeremy had no clue what Sam was going to do, but he didn’t want it to happen. 

He could feel a bruise starting to form on his arm. The wall wasn’t budging. It wasn’t letting him get out. Still, he persisted, trying to power through the pain. Michael couldn’t do much right now so it was up to him.

“You’re so pathetic Jeremy, you know that?” Sam said, tone cold, “I always thought that about you. You’re a pathetic cheater-” they continued to let out strings of toxic words.

Jeremy merely whimpered in response, trying to tune Sam out. Then, Michael suddenly shifted, throwing his entire body against the wall and pulling Jeremy with him. 

The two finally managed to clip through the wall, and Jeremy let out a relieved sigh. But the relief didn’t last long. They weren’t in the weird arcade anymore. They were falling, as familiar 8-bit music played. Where were they? There was nothing but white for miles.

“I’m sorry Jer, I-I should’ve moved sooner, I just-” Michael began to apologize, but Jeremy cut him off.

“It’s fine, don’t worry. We were both scared. It’s okay. It’s over now,” Jeremy said. He tried his best to sound confident and calm, but the terrible shaking and awkward cracks in his voice gave away what he was really feeling. But it was over, right?

The void they were in seemed to stretch on forever and ever, the wind from the fall causing their clothes to blow and brush against their skin uncomfortably. The boys held onto each other tightly, too scared to let go. They didn’t know when they’d stop falling.

* * *

Michael woke up on the arcade floor, his nose wrinkling slightly at the smell. The familiar purple carpet was underneath him. He relaxed immediately. That was just a weird dream. Him and Jeremy must’ve passed out at the arcade. Everything was fine.

He took a deep breath and got up, reaching a hand to the SQUIP cabinet for support. He pulled his hand away with a frown. It was wet. He looked at it and squinted, trying to figure out what was on it. It was thick and sludgy, clotting and clumping in places. It was also a dark red shade. Almost brown. 

When Michael couldn’t figure out what it was, he smeared it on the side of the cabinet, his hand sliding over a loose piece of metal. “Hey, Jer, can you help me take this off?” he asked, looking around. He wanted to know what was inside. When Jeremy didn’t answer, he wasn’t surprised. The boy was probably still asleep.

So, he decided to try and pry it off himself, tugging on the metal as hard as he could. He fell back a bit, catching himself with his foot when the piece came off, a small snap sounding as one of the old screws broke. 

Tossing the metal to the side, Michael grabbed his flashlight, shining it inside of the cabinet. What he saw made his blood run cold.

Bodies. Two or three, crammed inside of the cabinet, bloody and chopped up. The rotting smell only worsened and he had to cover his mouth and nose. He couldn’t bring himself to look away. It was like a car accident, horrific but eye catching. Their limbs were loosely hanging and dangling, blood dripping from the ends of their fingers and pooling at the bottom of the cabinet. They were twisted and tangled together, hooked up to wires. They were clearly decaying, flies starting to swarm around them. Michael felt sick.

He took a step back and grabbed his bag, looking for Jeremy. “Jeremy!” he called a bit louder and more frantic, starting to get worried when the other still didn’t respond. Loud noises normally woke the other up. “Jeremy!” he repeated, “Where are you, Jer! Jeremy! We need to leave!”

He was running around the small arcade now, looking for the smaller boy, when he suddenly felt a pair of thin arms wrap around him. “Jeremy?” he asked softly.

“Don’t worry about him,” a cold voice answered.


	4. Run Rabbit Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Michael was squirming, desperately trying to kick his way out of the thing’s grip. “What the fuck do you mean, don’t worry about him? What did you do? What’s going on? Let me go?” he practically yelled, gritting his teeth."
> 
> [Warning for graphic depictions of pain]

Jeremy jolted awake and found himself sitting up and panting in his twin sized bed. What a fucked up nightmare. He gripped the edge of his plaid comforter and tried to calm himself down. Whenever he had bad dreams, it always took awhile to get back into reality. To get out of his head and remember that it was over, that he was safe. 

He pushed himself out of bed and looked at his clock, trying to check the time. But the time wasn’t showing up. Instead, the red digital numbers were flashing the same time over and over, like what happens when there’s a power outage and the clock has no clue what time it is.

Blinking, he brushed it off. His dad might’ve unplugged the thing when he moved out. He ignored the pulsing pain in the back of his head as he walked over to his dresser, pulling the drawers open. 

Weird. There weren’t any clothes. Maybe he never unpacked? Jeremy walked around the familiar room, looking for his suitcase. He checked under the bed, behind the door, next to his desk-- all the places he might have put it. But it was nowhere in sight. Which was strange, because he was sure Michael brought the bag up to his room. 

Maybe that never happened. Jeremy had a tendency to remember things wrong. He left his room and made his way through the hall, going down the stairs. His school pictures were normally hung up on the wall, but they weren’t there either. A lot of things were out of place.

“Dad?” Jeremy called out once he was in the living room, “Do you know where my bag is?” When he didn’t get a reply, he wasn’t confused or worried. His dad was probably at work. He decided to just check the driveway to see if his car was there or not.

But, when Jeremy went to open the front door, the yard wasn’t there. Nothing was there, in fact. It was the same blank white for miles that Jeremy had seen in his dream. 

He froze up and shuddered, immediately stepping back inside and slamming the door shut. “Dad?!” he yelled, a bit more panicked. He started to pace through the house, opening up all the doors. The house was empty. Things were missing, too. Photos, books, old art projects. The things that couldn’t be replaced or replicated.

It was so unsettling to Jeremy. He felt like he was in a recreation of his home, but he wasn’t sure. Was he going crazy? 

The insistent pain in the back of his skull was still digging into his and no matter what he did, he couldn’t get it to go away. What was happening? He just wanted this to be over. He wanted to be with his dad, with Michael, back home. This place looked just like his house but it didn’t feel like his home.

Jeremy started to sniffle quietly as he ran back to his room, curling up into a ball under his blanket. He was still dreaming. He had to be dreaming. This was a dream, right?

He tried to stay calm, but before he knew it he was hyperventilating. Everything felt so wrong. He squeaked and jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his back, rubbing soothingly over the fabric.

He pulled the comforter off of his head to see who it was. His eyes widened. “S-Sam..?” he stuttered, voice shaking as he tried to back away.

Sam chuckled, all their mouths forming all too friendly smiles. “You doing okay, Jeremy? Do you like the little house I made you?”

Jeremy shook his head and bit his lip, staying silent. He didn’t like this place at all. He wanted to leave. 

“Aw, that’s a shame,” Sam cupped Jeremy’s cheek in their hand, humming, “I made it just for you, Jer. I thought you’d like it.”

Jeremy cleared his throat, shaking his head again. “Where am I? Where’s Michael? I-I want to go home..” he said quietly, taking deep breaths and trying to look anywhere but at Sam.

“You’re in a place, Jeremy. A place I created and a place I control. Michael’s here too, but you can’t see him and..” Sam paused, their face suddenly more serious. They gripped Jeremy’s face tightly, causing the boy to wince, “You won’t be going home.”

Jeremy’s face went pale and he struggled to get away from the other, hyperventilating again. Sam simply shushed him and resumed rubbing his back. They needed Jeremy to calm down. Jeremy was an important part of their plan. 

Eventually, Jeremy’s cries faded back into sniffles and he caught his breath, leaning forward onto Sam despite himself. “W-What’re you gonna do to me?” he hiccuped, still trembling.

“I’m not going to hurt you, don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything bad. I’m not a bad person you know, you were just a nervous kid,” Sam cooed, keeping their tone sweet and soft.

Jeremy felt confused, but nodded, leaning away and going back to laying down on the bed. He looked up at Sam. “But you called me pathetic..”

Sam laughed and ruffled Jeremy’s hair, “And I wasn’t lying,” they snickered, before vanishing in a cloud of pixels. Jeremy was left confused, but surprisingly calm. Sam wasn’t going to hurt him. Everything felt weird, but that was okay because he was safe, right?

* * *

Michael was squirming, desperately trying to kick his way out of the thing’s grip. “What the fuck do you mean, don’t worry about him? What did you do? What’s going on? Let me go?” he practically yelled, gritting his teeth.

The arms around him didn’t relent. If anything, they tightened their grip. Michael continued to struggle. He didn’t know what was happening, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. Suddenly, pixels and code were clouding in front of him, a figure slowly forming and loading. It was Sam. 

But, they were missing their arms, the two limbs clearly severed to stay tangled around Michael’s middle. The sight was enough to make Michael freeze, nearly gagging. This was so fucked up. First corpses, now a disfigured version of his childhood nightmare? He felt sick again. Maybe he was just getting sick from everything that was going on. The pain in his head was still present, too. 

Still, Michael wasn’t about to freeze up and become useless like he had in his dream. Or, what he assumed to be a dream. It was starting to feel more and more like a memory that actually happened. 

He went back to his wriggling, trying to escape. “Where is Jeremy?!” he shouted, trying to keep his voice aggressive and confident. He certainly felt angry, but the feeling was starting to be overshadowed by anxiety.

Sam laughed, the sound filling Michael’s ears and cutting his mind up into little bits. Like the kids in the cabinet. “I have Jeremy. He’s trapped, but he’s safe,” Sam explained, “For now, at least.”

“What do you want with him? What are you gonna do with him? W-” Michael began to yell again before one of the arms slid up and covered his mouth. He started to thrash about even more, his eyes wide and shaky. 

“Oh, you know. I just need him for things. I need you too, Michael,” Sam said, stepping closer to the other, “But I can’t explain the things. What do you expect me to do, monologue? You’ll find out soon enough, don’t worry your stupid little head off.”

Michael wanted to retort or scream or something, but all he could let out were muffled sounds now that Sam was covering his mouth. The man was too far away to kick, and Michael didn’t want to hurt himself by kicking at the arms wrapped around him. 

“You certainly have a lot of energy Michael. You’re still putting up a fight and trying to run away,” Sam commented, turning to face away from Michael. The arcade they were in flickered out of existence and they were back in the void, 8-bit music still playing quietly from all sides. They turned to Michael and smirked, “Let’s see how much energy you really have. You like video games, right?” They laughed as a new world formed around them. 

Michael watched as fear began to twist his gut up. A blue sky came into view overhead, quickly turning red as a long path formed in front of him. It stretched on and on. Like everything else in this world, it seemed to go on forever. There was a tall fence on both sides. No chance of escape. 

Sam hovered up into the air, and their arms floated back to them. Michael was free to move now. But he stayed frozen in place, unsure what to do. He didn’t even know what to say anymore. This was puzzling. 

Then, Sam snapped and Michael looked behind him. The track there was starting to crumble and deteriorate, breaking off into stray cubes and chunks that fell down into the void. 

“Well, what are you waiting for Michael, run! Use that energy,” Sam snickered, “Afterall, you only have one life.”

Michael immediately took off, his heart pounding in his chest. The sound filled his ears, tuning out the music and his labored breathing. He was out of shape, terribly so. He felt himself get increasingly tired with every step.

But he persisted. He had no choice but to keep going. The path was crumbling behind him, and if he fell, he’d die. Or he thought he’d die, anyway. He wasn’t about to find out if he did or not. He didn’t want to risk it. He just needed to play along with Sam and save Jeremy.

He kept running and running, not bothering to pace himself as he sprinted. It didn’t take long for him to start heaving, sweat running down his forehead. His legs were aching. Michael was beginning to regret never exercising. His throat felt like it was full of ice, and every breath seemed to short. His face felt hot. He could barely feel his legs, but they felt like they were ready to give up and snap in two at any minute now.

There was no choice but to keep running. The path seemed to be disappearing faster, but maybe Michael was just slowing down. He couldn’t tell. His eyes were starting to water, tears joining the sweat. This was exhausting. He couldn’t keep this up for much longer. His whole body felt weak, he could barely breathe. It was all too much.

Faintly, he could hear Sam laughing in the background, but it was drowned out by the sounds of his feet thudding against the ground. By the sound of his heart pounding through his entire body. By the sound of his breathing, uneven and short and shaky. His body was filling with adrenaline. He knew he had to keep going. He couldn’t afford to stop or slow down. 

As he kept running, it was getting harder and harder to keep his footing even. He’d misstep every time, causing his foot to bend awkwardly and unnaturally, sending jolts of pain up his leg. He was sure something was bruised or broken by now. His body was in agony. 

Sometimes he’d start to lose his balance and nearly fall over. He’d have to catch himself with either his arms or legs, and there was no time to recover from the impact-- he just had to keep going, gasping for air.

It didn’t help that he was panicking. The only thoughts racing through his mind was the fact that he didn’t want to die. Michael didn’t want to die. He couldn’t die. He had to keep going, he had to survive. At some point, his glasses had fallen off. It was so hard to see. His already unfocused vision was blurred with tears.

His inability to see, caused him to misstep again, his ankle twisting as he lost his balance and collided with the ground. His body hit the ground with a loud thud, louder than the sounds of his footsteps, and he cried out in pain. Still, he had to continue. He pushed himself up with shaky arms, and took a step forward, immediately collapsing again. His leg flared up in pain, the feeling surging through him like electricity. It was burning. Michael felt like he was on fire.

It dawned on him that he had sprained his ankle. He couldn't run with a sprained ankle. His eyes widened in horror and he started to sob, the ability to breath completely leaving him. Oh god, he was going to die, wasn’t he? He pushed himself up again, pressing on pathetically, falling over again and again, a splitting and sickening pain filling his ankle and spreading into his entire body.

Eventually, he gave up and began to cry, nearly puking as his body attempted to recover from what he had just put it through. Then he screamed.

The ground underneath him went away in a cloud of chunks and pixels, and he was falling at speeds that were far too fast. There was no ground. But Sam said he only had one life, right? He was about to die. He hiccuped out sobs, choking on his dread and tears bubbled up in his eyes and streamed down his face.

Then all of the sudden he stopped. Sam appeared in front of him. “Oh, did you think you were gonna die?” they asked innocently, before bursting out into cruel laughter, nearly doubling over as they wheezed, finding Michael’s suffering far too amusing. “That was just a test, Michael. We’re nowhere close to done.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been on a daily update kick so thats good let's hope I can keep it up


	5. Wired Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They dangled and danced around, tangling around Jeremy’s shoulders before shooting into the ceiling. Jeremy couldn’t see where they ended. But, they could feel their effect. He was tired. More tired than he had been. His eyelids felt heavy and he was drowsy."

Michael didn’t know what Sam meant when they said they were nowhere close to done. He didn’t know what “done” was, or what had even started. Michael had no clue what was happening. He didn’t even know where he was.

It was some sort of plane of existence, some weird dimension. Similar to reality, but far too different to be real. Gravity was wonky, things fell at fast rates but they also hovered peacefully. Everything was white, everything was void, anything that existed was created-- and appeared to be made from pixels and chunks.

It was almost like the Matrix, Michael thought, everything seemed digital and artificial. But, it was so high tech that it almost seemed organic. It was hard for Michael to wrap his head around. He didn’t understand it. Plus, his headache wouldn’t go away, so it was even harder to focus.

Sam had faded away. They’d gone somewhere else, Michael assumed. He didn’t know what they were doing, but since it didn’t involve him he didn’t care. He just wanted Sean away from him.

He was floating around in the white space, every now and then he’d start to fall, but for the most part, it was a pleasant hover. It gave him time to breathe. Time for his body to relax and heal. He watched through blurry vision as the infinite track continued to crumble until it was either completely gone or completely out of sight. 

Michael flinched when he felt something tap against his side and his breath caught in his throat. He reached his hand down and patted around, smiling when his fingers wrapped around a familiar object. His glasses. Finally, he could see. There wasn’t much to see, but they’d come in handy later. There was more to come, right? With a sigh, he slipped them on, shutting his eyes and relaxing. He needed sleep.

* * *

Jeremy was still asleep in his little bed, snoring softly. He was the kind of person who could sleep forever if you let him. On top of that, he was a heavy sleeper. Sudden sounds didn’t cause him to stir at all. Sure, if they were loud enough they would, but footsteps and things falling never bothered. He wouldn’t wake up unless somebody was trying to wake him up.

Which was exactly what Sam was doing. They materialized in Jeremy’s room, but the sleeping boy didn’t notice or move. It caused Sam to chuckle. Normally, kids were panicked and scared. Why wasn’t Jeremy? It was amusing how quickly he had relaxed and accepted things.

Sam gripped Jeremy’s shoulder and gave him a firm shake, grinning when the other finally opened his eyes with a flinch. His eyes were wide and he backed away, his breathing picking up for a moment. He still wasn’t used to the sight of Sam.

But then he remembered what Sam said. He wasn’t going to be hurt. He was safe. He took a deep breath and relaxed. “What do you want..?” he mumbled, yawning and wiping his eyes.

Sam hummed, before creating a tiny little screen that hovered in midair in front of Jeremy. “I need your help, Jeremy,” they said softly, trying their best to sound concerned and sad, “But I’m gonna show you something first, okay?”

Jeremy nodded wordlessly, his gaze shifting from Sam to the screen. He was confused, but he didn’t ask any questions. Soon, the thing flickered to life, showing a video of Michael.

Jeremy’s eyes went wide once more as he watched. Michael was sprinting and stumbling, clearly panicked and in pain, as he tried to avoid a certain death. He looked so tired and sad. He looked completely miserable. But not just that. He looked terrified. Jeremy couldn’t handle it.

He shut his eyes and tried to wave his hands through the screen. He wanted it to go away. He didn’t want to see this. The thought of Michael being in so much pain made him feel sick.

“W-What is this? What’re you doing to Michael? Why are you showing me this?” Jeremy started to ramble out nervously, his voice shaking as he tensed up, eyes still squeezed shut.

Sam gave another hum and pushed the screen away, the thing disappearing and fading away pixel by pixel. They placed a hand on Jeremy’s back and started to rub soothingly, trying to make the boy relax. “Shh.. don’t worry, I’m not doing that to him,” they lied. 

“You’re not..?” Jeremy asked, opening his eyes and looking up at Sam. They were watery. He was worried about Michael. Which was good, everything was going according to plan.

Sean nodded, “I’m not, really. I’d never do that to Michael. I know I seem weird and creepy, and I can be a little mean, but I’m not a monster,” all of their mouths were forming sympathetic frowns, “I want to help him out, he’s trapped and in pain. That’s why I need your help.”

“What do you want me to do?” Jeremy was starting to relax and was somewhat eager to help Sam out. The guy made him nervous, but if they were nice and just wanted to help then it wasn’t a huge deal. They just wanted what was best. 

“I don’t have enough power. In this place, everything runs on power, and I don’t have enough to help Michael. I just need to borrow some from you.”

Jeremy furrowed his brows and looked down, playing with the blanket in his hands as he thought. “B-Borrow..?”

Sam odded. “Yeah, borrow. I’m just gonna hook a wire up to you, so I can borrow some energy. You won’t need to do anything and it won’t hurt. You’ll just feel a little more tired than usual, okay?”

Jeremy nodded. “Okay. I-I can so that,” he said softly. He was used to being tired, and he wanted to help Michael. He could do this. Sam needed some help, and he could help.

Sam grinned and ruffled Jeremy’s hair. “Good,” they cooed, “I guess you’re not entirely useless.” they flicked their wrist and waved their hand, and a long bright blue wire started to form in the air, slowly growing in length. They pushed an end into the left side of Jeremy’s neck, before making another wire and attaching it to the right side. 

They dangled and danced around, tangling around Jeremy’s shoulders before shooting into the ceiling. Jeremy couldn’t see where they ended. But, they could feel their effect. He was tired. More tired than he had been. His eyelids felt heavy and he was drowsy. 

Jeremy yawned softly and shot Sam a smile. “Go help Michael..” he said, before shutting his eyes and letting his head fall back against his pillow.

Sam smirked. Good. Jeremy fell for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as I say I'm on a daily update streak, I lose it. Damn. I guess that's just how life is on this bitch of an earth. Anyway!! Sorry this chapter is so short, it's more of set-up for things to come. The next chapter will be longer, I swear! Comments and kudos are appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on Tumblr if you wanna chat, I'm @AwkwardSprinkles! Comments and kudos are appreciated.


End file.
